The Sweet-ish Meatball Sandwich: Part One - The Meatball

Oh hello there! I’m terrible at keeping up with this here blog. Even right now, I keep looking around the room for something else to do. How rude!

This time, I actually come to you with a for real recipe. I wrote everything down this time. I could say an award winning recipe, as this is just coming off the heels of a cook-off win this past weekend [judges’ choice], but then I think to myself, “shut up, Cat.” So I shall call itA Pretty Awesome Swedish Meatball Recipe.

As part of the touring cook-off series, The Food Experiments our challenge was to represent for the sandwich capital of the world [says me], Philadelphia, by making a sandwich. Since we ended up in 2nd place last year at The Cheese Experiment, we knew we had to put extra thought into this one. We actually had a sandwich party where we invited some friends over, and made 3 different sandwiches; a thanksgiving one, a macaroni and cheese steak one, and a turkey and bacon one. They were all pretty good, but I wasn’t gettingTHAT FEELING.Whatever that feeling happens to be is pretty important to me when it comes to cook-off competitions, so between the 2 of us, we tried 2 more; a cubano, and a Swedish meatball sandwich. While the cubano was decent, as a newish carnivore, I’m not totally in love with or understanding of pork [I know, I know], so it just didn’t work for me. And let’s be real, I was only in it for the pickles…..sweet sweet pickles…….ANYWAY -

We decided on the Swedish Meatball Sandwich for many reasons. 1] Who doesn’t love a meatball? Affordable, practical, and hella easy to mess with in whatever way you’d like. 2] Given the way it’s traditionally served, it was a perfect opportunity to showcase sweet and savory by including a berry sauce. 3] I have an unhealthy obsession with all things Nordic. It’s possible that somewhere in my warped mind I figured “if you make it, they will come…and fly you back to Sweden for free, and quite possibly make you the Queen of all of Scandinavia.” So there’s that, it was a done deal. I had made them a few times before, but I hadn’t reallyexperimentedwith them, and all that they could truly be. My goal really was to make a modernized version of the meatball with lots of traditional Swedish flavors. Our first mistake was adding dill to the meatball [them Swedes love their dill]. It gave the meatball too much of a grassy flavor. But then I thought, YOU KNOW WHAT’S GREAT WITH DILL??? PICKLES! HELL YEAH! So needless to say, I also made pickles for the event. That recipe is for another time though…if I can remember it. So without getting too much into my thought process for this, and believe me that could take years, here is our recipe.

2/3 lb. ground beef

1/3 lb. ground pork

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs [I made mine using test rye bread]

1/2 cup raw minced onion, which typically cooks down to about 1/4 cup

a little less than 1/2 cup whole milk

1 packet Goya ham flavored concentrate [stuff is magical]

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1.5 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons [or more] grated Västerbotten or gruyere cheese

*In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, milk and ham concentrate. Let sit for 10 minute while combining the remaining ingredients. I like to combine the beef, pork and onion first and make sure that is all evenly distributed. Then add the rest of the ingredients, leaving the soaked bread crumbs for last. Form balls using about 3 tablespoons of the mixture. Do not overwork the mixture…just loosely form it into a ball-like shape. In our case, we wanted them to go on a sandwich, so we flattened them out slightly, like a thick burger.

*Pre-heat the oven for 400 degrees. Cook the meatballs in a shallow pan with a tablespoon of butter, making sure all sides have browned. Again, in our case, since it was more like a burger, we only browned ours on 2 sides.

*Reserve greasy goodness that’s left in the pan after browning. You’ll want this for the gravy later. Place the meatballs in a pan, filled with chicken broth, so that the broth is half covering the meatballs. Cook in the oven until the meatballs are 165 degrees inside…this took approximately 15-20 minutes.

*Reserve the chicken broth that you just cooked the meatballs in, because you’ll want that for the gravy as well.

And there you have it! Some award winningpretty awesome Swedish meatballs!! I will cover the berry sauce and the goat cheese gravy in the next entry…if I can get it together enough to do a next entry.

Cat attacks…ALL THE COOK OFFS! part 1

Long time no blog. I think I just get side tracked for long periods of time, which is a shame, because I’ve actually been cooking quite a bit lately. A problem with blogging recipes, is just that - RECIPES. I don’t write anything down. I should probably start doing that.

In any case, since we last “spoke” I’ve been in 3 different cooking challenges. So much work, but so much fun!! I never knew how ridiculously competitive I was (not counting playing any board game with my husband). It’s all in good fun though, and I don’t let it turn me into a crazy person…I just really enjoy competitions.

Last summer we took place in a citywide Cheese Cook-off, run by The Food Experiments based out of Brooklyn. They have events in big cities around the country, and chose a different ingredient for each city as the focus. We got the best ingredient - CHEESE. Cheese anything, cheese everything. There were about 15 teams, 4 judges, and 300-something attendees. We won 2nd place from the audience, and another award from the organizers for being the Cheesiest (not exactly, but close)! I can’t even tell you how surprised and happy I was/am.

Our entry: a grilled cheese sandwich made with fontina, aged cheddar, goat cheese, bacon, and a smoked gouda mayo, all on butternut squash bread. I made the bread by hand (we don’t have a bread machine), which I’m proud of, but I will never do again. We had to make approximately 350 bites, so I made 180 individual bread rolls, and cut them in half. Did I say never again? Because I meant NEVER AGAIN. It paid off though, I suppose. In any case, I highly recommend this combination of cheeses. We tested quite a few different combinations, and while I love gouda, it can be so overpowering. We decided to just grate some and put it in a mayo with some onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper. The fontina is mild and melty, the aged cheddar is salty and strong, and the goat cheese is smooth and tangy. Perfect.

Additionally we added a gazpacho shooter, because who doesn’t love grilled cheese and tomato??! Making a tomato soup wasn’t really practical for our set up, so we opted for gazpacho, which before this cook-off, I had never made. I don’t have an exact recipe, because I think it really is a matter of taste, but we used: heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, apple cider vinegar, tomato juice and paste, garlic, as well as a little bit parmesan and goat cheese (it was a cheese competition, duh!). The vinegar and cucumber can be really overpowering, so I would mess with the amounts; add slowly, and taste frequently. Heirlooms aren’t the easiest to come by, but if you can get them, use them. They come in a variety of flavors (at least the packs that we get), which is perfect for a gazpacho, or any tomato-based recipe if you ask me. We just participated in a chili cook-off (I’ll write about that later) and used them again. We did well in that cook-off too…so I refer to it as ‘The Heirloom Factor.’ They have yet to steer us wrong!

Next entry: The Jerk Off! (get your mind out of the gutter. It’s a jerk sauce competition.)

Cat attacks……..a meatless meatball!

Sorry about that break there. I had a dinner party where I made food for about 12 friends a week or two ago….and after that I took a big ol’ food break. Of course, I didn’t really…because I continued cooking, I just didn’t write about it. For shame!!

I will start this meat(less)ball post, with a few words on the bulk shopping mecca known as BJ’s. I’m not choosing a favorite though, they’re all the same to me. Homeboy and I just happened to have a free trial membership here, solely for the purpose of food shopping for our wedding. In any case, we went here one other time out of sheer boredom (is this real life?). We left with the following: a giant jar of pickles, 5 pounds of frozen broccoli, and cheese (we buy cheese everywhere we go that sells cheese). Since we’re only two people, we really had to brainstorm what to do with this stuff. The pickles would be taken care of by me, and cheese is always taken care of….but the broccoli! What two people need 5 pounds of broccoli?? So I started trying to incorporate it in everything. Naturally. But that’s for another day.

I had a few people over for a snowed-in party a few weeks back, and wanted to make some food stuffs that would work as an appetizer. Enter “the broccoli bite.” Now I really had no idea about what this was supposed to taste like, and I didn’t have time to go through a bunch of recipes online, so I decided to wing it. So here goes:

  • 3 cups frozen broccoli, thawed
  • mushrooms, small chop (amount based on preference. I used about 1.5 cups, cooked)
  • 2/3 cup onion/leeks minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon savory or italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 - 2/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • Parmesan cheese
  • oil for cooking

I’ve changed this recipe every time I’ve made it, but it’s a good base to start with.

Saute the onion/leek, garlic and chopped mushroom together until soft. Transfer to large bowl and let cool. In the meantime, chop the broccoli into small pieces. If you have a food processor, definitely use it because this can take a while. I tend to not use all of the stalks, as I like most of the softer parts…but don’t listen to me because THAT IS WASTEFUL. Put the chopped broccoli in the bowl with the cooked veggies. Add the egg and mix evenly. Then add the breadcrumbs and dry seasonings. I would start with half a cup of breadcrumbs first and then add more as needed. I like to add some parmesan to the mix as well, as a dry ingredient. Since the broccoli holds some water from being frozen, it’s hard to say what the perfect amount of dry is. When you’re mixing it all together, it should stick together nicely, and almost be able to form like a paste. It’s too dry if you form a ball in your hand and pieces fall off. After everything is nicely mixed (I really suggest using your hands, and it takes you back to the old days of helping your mom prepare meatloaf), form balls -about the size of golf balls -and place them on wax paper.

Heat the oil (I use olive) in a skillet, about a quarter inch high, over medium heat. Once the oil is ready, you can begin the cooking! Brown the balls (heh) on all sides, and drain on a paper towel. I like to then put them in the oven at 200 degrees to keep them warm. And there you have it! Meatless meatballs. Or broccoli bits. Or broccoli balls. Or whatever you want to call them.

*side note: I’ve made these several times, and some suggested extra ingredients that I’ve used would be: cooked red bell pepper, pesto, and crumbled goat cheese.

Cat attacks………dinner party planning!

I have to make this short. This week all of the sudden got busy with actual things to do.

1) Planning a dinner party for 12+ people

2) Getting back to my hometown to see my friend’s brand new baby (no seriously, as I type this, she may be giving birth), and then BACK home to continue with food prepping.

My problem with any kind of food making for parties is I don’t know when to stop. If something pops up in my head, I never think “well that’s just too many things.” I think, “ADD IT TO THE MENU.” Stupid, Cat. Stupid.

In any case, as of now, this is my menu. Is this possible to pull off in two 2 days, including my trip out of town and a need to clean the house? Unlikely.

-fried goat cheese salad with strawberries

-handmade pasta and tomato sauce from scratch

-meatballs, and “meat”balls

-pork ravioli

-beignets with bourbon sauce

This means I will definitely be buying the bread.I was no joke going to attempt a risotto, but that sounds B-A-N-A-N-A-S right about now.

OY VEY!!!

Cat attacks………her dining room table!

Before I get to frozen seafood, which may take me a while, I thought I’d take on the least used piece of furniture in our whole house: the dining room table. Now, I don’t know about other couples…but we personally can’t be bothered to eat at that thing. It just doesn’t happen. We have a comfy couch and a nice big coffee table facing a tv, and that just screams “eat here” to us. For a while we actually just had the dining room table pushed up against the wall like extra shelving. It held our mail, coats, books, life….you name it. But it’s time to be a grown up now. We have a dining room, let’s make it work!

And there you have it…a clear, cleaned, and still unused dining room table. Well, I tried.

*credits to bottles mineral water for providing me with makeshift candle holders, and Ikea for basically everything else.

Cat attacks…….brussel sprouts!

Well this was interesting. Considering I’ve only had brussel sprouts once before this (Thanksgiving, and they were allllright), I knew this would be a challenge. I looked up proper cleaning/trimming/cook times, followed by what flavors will typically bring out the best in that feisty little sprout. This is my usual approach with ingredients that are new to me. Get a quick overview, and then do my own thing.

Ingredients:

  • appr. 1 lb. of brussel sprouts
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 of an onion, chopped
  • large handful of grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup of water
  • vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • liquid smoke to your taste (or bacon pieces)
  • garlic salt and pepper to taste

I started with roughly a pound of brussel sprouts, purchased at Wegmans over a week ago (I was lucky they were still good). Let them sit in some water to get rid of any grit, then trimmed the stems a bit, and pulled off any leaves that looked like they were beginning to brown. Then I cut them lengthwise (through the stem).

I then began sauteing the minced garlic, and the yellow onion (I usually prefer red onion in everything, but I’m trying to get rid of this yellow one. THE CHOICE IS YOURS!), in 2 tablespoons of butter. Fyi, this is a lot of butter…so I would suggest cutting this down. I then cut some grape tomatoes in half and added those, because I’ll put a tomato in anything. Let this simmer for a little bit until the garlic and onion are cooked through, then add the mustard, and half a cup of water. Let simmer for a bit more, stirring, then add the bouillon cube and the rest of the water and make sure the cube dissolves. Once the liquid is back at a simmer, add the sprouts and vinegar. Cook the sprouts for about 6-8 minutes until tender. The sauce will thicken a little bit. Add the smoke (or some bacon pieces), salt and pepper to taste. THE END.

*Note: this recipe could easily be made vegan with some Earth Balance.

I served this with some breaded chicken tenderloins for my Homeboy (He will, from now on be referred to as “Homeboy”). For the breading I used flour, then egg/milk mixture, then seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with this shiz:

*Homeboy picked this up one time we were browsing the spice aisle because he liked his face. Yes…that’s how we like to grocery shop.*

Fry the chicken in shallow oil on each side until golden brown.Placed chicken on some paper towel to get rid of excess oil…and done.

Dinner was served!

I assume at some point I will have a better camera for food picture taking, but for now, the phone is going to have to do.

Stay tuned for next time, when Cat attacks………frozen seafood (oh noooooo!)

Cat attacks…..homemade pasta!

Ahhh…..a first entry. I’m scared!

Recently I decided to take on the amazing world of homemade pasta. I had seen it done on TV and they made it seem so easy! Surely I could do what the professionals do. Right?

I looked a up a recipe that would give me step-by-step instructions (with pictures), and soon found one from some dude, who said “it never failed.” Well, if a MAN can make no-fail pasta, then I CAN. (I know totally sexist. Get over it.)

Well…I failed. I take that back…..I didn’t completely fail, but it was not good. The dough was dry and literally wouldn’t take in anymore moisture. I didn’t know this was possible, but I swear it happened to me. Kneading it was like kneading the back of someone’s head. I had to keep taking breaks so that my arms wouldn’t fall off. In any case, it just got worse from there. I managed with a rolling pin to get it to maybe 1/6th of an inch thin. This was even with the help of my husband who also declared it a lost cause. We sliced it up into something that sort of resembled fettuccine, and ate it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good.

A few days later I decided that I couldn’t just give up there. Sure, I may not have the proper tools for making perfectly sexy pasta, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t try to make something that could half resemble that.

This time I decided to look up instructions from a real Italian grandmother - The “So Fly” Lidia Bastianich. Her step-by-step instructions, with special instructions for those without fancy tools, were perfect for me. This time, everything just seemed easier. With the addition of another egg and a little bit of water (unlike NO-FAIL-FAILURE-MAN-DOUGH), the dough was easy to work with. I was even able to roll it out with a rolling pin to a thinness that actually resembled pasta. After tediously cutting each noodle by hand, I had an armful of what looked like the real deal.

After cooking in some salted boiling water for approximately 2 minutes, it was perfectly awesome. Go me!!

The next day I had to do it again to assure myself that it couldn’t be a fluke. This time I added about a teaspoon (or less) of ground American saffron, and a teaspoon of garlic powder to the flour, and instead of 3 cups of white flour I used 2 cups, and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. It was still a total success.

So thank you, Lidia. When it comes to Italian recipes that I would never be able to figure out myself, I will always turn to you.

For her recipe, visit here

Below is what I made for dinner with the saffron/garlic whole wheat pasta:

  • about half a lb. of pasta
  • 4 tablespoons of butter/margarine/good olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper

Mince the garlic and saute it in the butter. When the pasta is finished cooking (about 1 to 3 minutes, depending on type), add it to the butter and garlic. Sprinkle with as much parmesan as you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

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